While waiting in front of the emergency room, Itt's father was starting to feel stressed out. He didn't say much to anyone. Actually, no one was in the mood to talk. The only thing on anyone's mind was hearing about Day and Itt's conditions. Nick was sitting next to Neil while still sobbing. Soon, the door to the emergency room opened. Itt's father immediately rushed to the doctor.
"Doctor, how is Itt?" Itt's father asked in a worried tone.
"Mr. Itthiphol Charoen is safe now. He is unconscious right now because he has lost a lot of blood, but we have given him more blood. I am going to take him to a recovery room soon," said the doctor.
"What about the other patient, Doctor?" Neil asked Day.
"As for Khun Rawipol, he is considered to be very fortunate. When the bullet hit him, it did not hit any vital organs. However, it did cause some internal bleeding to his body. He has lost a lot of blood, but he is no longer considered to be in critical condition. We will need to monitor his condition for a while longer. When he is ready, we will take him to a recovery room, as well.
"Papa," Nick turned and called out to Itt's father in a trembling voice.
"What is it, Nick?" Itt's father answered.
"About Day and Itt... I wanted to..." Nick was about to say something when Itt's father raised his hand to stop him.
"I don't want to talk about this now, please. I'm going to go talk to the doctor about the recovery room first," Itt's father said before walking away. Nick looked at him with a worried expression.
"Give him some time. I think you should go call Gear first," Neil said. Nick picks up his phone and calls Gear. He updates him about Day's and Itt's conditions. He could only pray that Itt's father would open his heart and allow Day and Itt to be together.
+++++++++++++++++
"Honey, Itt has woken up," a familiar voice says, next to him. Itt was starting to come to his senses. He slowly opens his eyes and sees his mother sitting next to him. Above him was a white ceiling.
"Ma...ma," Itt called out to his mother in a hoarse voice.
"Have some water, Itt," Itt's mother said before handing him a glass with a straw to drink from. Itt drank the water because he was very thirsty. He closed his eyes again because his eyes still had not adjusted to the light.
Suddenly, images played through his head. The sound of gunshots, the smell of blood... he could remember it all. He immediately opened his eyes.
"Mom... Day... Ai Day... Ai Day!" Itt cried out when he remembered what had happened to Day. He tried to force himself to get out of bed.
"Where are you going, Itt? Lie down. You're going to hurt yourself," Itt's father hurried over to make his son lie down. Itt's face and lips were pale.
"Dad... I'm going to see Day... Where is he? Is he okay?" Itt asked, his voice trembling.
"Day, it's fine. The doctor said he would be able to go to a recovery room early in the morning. You'll be sleeping in the room next to him," Itt's father replied in a calm voice. Itt's eyes were tearing up.
"Really, Papa... he's okay, right? ...I want to see you with my own eyes," Itt tried to get out of bed, but his father held him to prevent him from getting up. His son was not even slightly interested in his own injuries. His wound was bloody and bandaged.
"Where do you think you're going in this condition? Have you gone crazy? Do you not see your own condition?" Itt's father continues to try to stop his son from getting out of bed.
"Honey... talk to your son nicely," Itt's mother scolds her husband.
"Well, look at it from my side. Son, open your eyes. Have you ever thought about us or how we feel? Have you ever considered how sad or worried we would be if something happened to you? We are your parents. Our son was shot and had to be taken to the hospital. Have you ever thought about what state of mind this has put your mother and me in, Itt?" Itt's father said with a trembling voice. His eyes were beginning to turn red, causing Itt to freeze at the sight of his father's condition.
"Papa..." Itt called his father in a low voice.
"Keep an eye on Itt, for me. I'm going to go outside and get some fresh air. I'll be right back," After he finished speaking. Itt's father immediately walked out of the room. Itt's heart was trembling as he watched his father walk away.
"Mom... I want to..." Itt tried to say.
"Get some rest, first. Your body is not in the best condition," Itt's mother said in a soft voice. Itt agreed to lay down. He was already starting to feel dizzy from sitting up too quickly. His wound was hurting.
"Itt, you need to understand where your father is coming from. Do you know that your father did not sleep all night because he was watching over you? When I tried to get him to go rest, he chased me away. He wouldn't go back home or give up on watching you. He was very worried about you, Itt. You should know this," Itt's mother said in a trembling voice.
"I know... Mom... I know. I just want to see for myself that Day is okay," Itt said in a low voice. He was feeling terrible for making his parents worry so much.
"Day is honestly okay. I went to see him. The bullet didn't hit any vital organs. He just lost a lot of blood and had some internal bleeding," Itt's mother told Itt about Day's condition to ease some of his anxiety.
"Well... when can I go visit him?" Itt asked again.
"Wait until the saline drip stops and the blood transfusion is complete. Then, I will take you to see him. For now, you must lie down and rest. You know this. Don't won't be so angry if you do this first," Itt nodded in acknowledgment because he was exhausted. In his heart, he was very worried about Day.
...
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Day's voice rang out when he saw the facial expression of his younger brother's lover.
"Are you even human? Huh? You got shot in the middle of your back last night. You lost work much blood. Now that it's morning, you're up, watching TV and acting like your normal self," Gear said because he noticed how fast Day had recovered. The first thing he did after waking up had Night turn on the TV.
"Don't you know, I'm Iron Man?" said a calm but soft voice, causing Gear to look irritated.
"Stop complaining at my brother, Gear," Night said emotionally to his lover because he enjoyed arguing with his brother all the time. Gear quickly walks over and hugs Night tenderly. Day slowly shakes his head after seeing Gear's behavior.
"Thank you," Day said in a low voice. Gear looks at him in confusion.
"What did you say?" Gear asked, just to be sure he heard correctly. Day looked at Gear for a moment.
"Thank you for helping me and Itt," Day said again. Gear smiled and shrugged.
"Well, I'm a good person," Gear said jokingly. Day smiled slightly without saying anything.
"Night... how is Itt doing?" Day asked his younger brother. Honestly, it was what he had wanted to ask since he opened his eyes and woke up, but the doctor and nurse started to examine his body before he could. The doctor was surprised to see that Day had opened his eyes and could talk like a normal person, even though he was in a lot of pain.
"It's okay. He's lost blood, just like you. He's sleeping in the next room. I don't know if he's awake yet," Gear replied.
"Well, it's good that he's okay," Day said again. Gear smiled slightly. Seeing this gesture, Gear knew that Day was very worried about Itt, too. Gear was initially suspicious of Itt and Day's relationship. He didn't feel very confident about Itt being with Day, but when he saw Day was willing to do anything to keep Itt safe, he no longer had any doubts about Day.
"What about Neil?" Day asked about his friend.
"I sent P' Neil and P' Nick home to get some rest. P' Neil and P' Nick watched over you until Gear agreed to bring me here this morning," Night told his older brother. Day looked at his younger brother, who was sitting next to his bed. Gear was standing behind him with his arm around Night's neck.
"Why have you been crying?" Day asked his younger brother when he noticed his eyes were red and swollen from crying. This caused Night's eyes to swell up with tears again.
"Well, I was worried about you... I... I was afraid... afraid that..." Night said with a trembling voice.
"Shhhhh... Night, what are you afraid of? I'm fine, now. See? There's nothing for you to fear," Day said to his younger brother before Night could finish speaking. Night suppressed his thoughts and nodded slowly. Gear stroked Night's hair from behind him.
"Gear, who is looking after Itt?" Day asked.
"Just his mom and dad are looking after him. I have been staying out of his father's way. He looks like he's carrying the whole world on his shoulders," Gear said.
Knock... knock...
A knock on the door sounded. The door opens, and the figure of a man walks inside, interrupting their conversation.
"Hurry up and wake up... I have something I want to talk to you about," a deep voice came out.
"Uh... Papa... Day has just woken up... I think..." Gear tries to persuade Itt's father into waiting to talk to Day.
"It's okay, Gear," Day interrupts. Night looks alternately between his brother and Itt's father with concern.
"Night, go and wait outside the room with Gear," Day said to his younger brother, who was acting like he didn't want to leave his brother.
"Ah... but..." Night hesitates.
"Night," Day calla out his brother's name in a stern voice, making Night realize that he really had to go outside the room.
"Well, I will take Night to get something to eat for breakfast. He's been here all morning without eating anything," Gear said, understandingly. He knew that Day and Itt's father needed to have a long conversation. Day nodded in acknowledgment.
Night has a worried look on his face. Gear took him out of the room, leaving Day and Itt's father alone in the recovery room. Itt's father walked in and sat in the chair, next to Day. He has a calm expression on his face.
"You're tough too," Itt's father said.
"It's not that big of a deal," Day said. Itt's father stared blankly at Day's face.
"You probably already know what I'm wanting to talk to you about," Itt's father began.
"I know. You want to talk about Itt," Day said.
"Yes, I want to talk about my only son..." Itt's father answered in a quiet voice.
"I want to thank you for helping my son," Itt's father said.
"Yes, of course. I'm always going to help Itt," Day replied. The two men looked at each other intensely. Day wasn't very sure what Itt's father wanted to say to him.
"It's true that you went to help my son but let me ask you something. Wouldn't it have been better if you didn't cause my son to suffer at all?" Itt's father said again. Day stayed silent. He wanted to listen to what all Itt's father had to say.
"Now, do you understand the meaning of what I said earlier? You and Pee had issues with each other. Because you two had problems, in the end, the person who suffered from this was my son. Do you understand what I'm trying to get through to you? If you continue to be impatient and reckless, like this... it doesn't matter how lucky Itt may be. It wouldn't be enough. He has one life. I only have one son. I don't want to lose my son," Itt's father said again.
"I understand what you are trying to tell me, but I want to prove to you that I can take care of Itt. It's true that this time, I was in the wrong. I played too rough with Pee. That is why he took revenge on me and did those things to Itt. But Itt only went through something like this because I wasn't close enough to protect him," Day said back.
"Are you saying the reason Itt encountered something, like this, is because I kept you two apart, which prevented you from being able to protect him?" Itt's father asked sternly.
"I am not the one who said this. You said those words yourself," Day said.
"I know that you could accept the fact that two men have some to love each other. That's not the problem. It's just that you didn't like this scenario would happen to someone this close to you," Day said when he saw the other party had gone silent.
"And you don't know if I'll be there to take care of your son forever or not. Am I right?" Day asked.
"Yes, I'll be honest. I can't see a future between you and my son at all. I don't know when you or my son will meet someone new or someone better. Then you two will hold onto regret, which will ultimately end the love affair between you and Itt," Itt's father said. This made Day realized Itt's father was concerned about Day's feelings as well as Itt's feelings.
"Itt, he can't leave me. He won't break up with me," Day said, causing Itt's father to become stunned with how confidently Day spoke about his son.
"Why are you so sure that Itt won't break up with you?" Itt's father asked back.
"Because I will never allow him to break up with me. I will do everything I can to make him love me more. I will make him think only about me until he can't think of anyone else," Day said, causing Itt's father to be confident that Day's personality was very similar to his own.
"And what about you? How long will you love Itt? When will you get tired of him? What will happen when you've made him love you so much that he can't stop, but you one day stop? Are you going to break up with my son?" Itt's father asked again.
"You may not know this... but now... Itt makes me think of no one but him. I couldn't be away from him for very long. But he doesn't even realize this himself," Day said, thinking about Itt's face. Itt's father paused a moment when he heard Day say this.
"But I still have concerns. I only have one son. I want to clarify that he is my only son. I intend to leave all my business to him and his family in the future, but he's ruining his future. He has put his whole future on hold," Itt's father said.
"But I'm ready to give Itt a good future," Day said back without giving up. Itt's father's face tenses as Day continues to insist on being a part of Itt's life.
"If you want Itt to have a good future, will you agree to do as I ask?" Itt's father asks of Day.
"What do you want me to do?" Day asked, wondering if Itt's father has something in mind for him.
"I want you to..."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Itt sleeps off and on until the evening. His old IV bag was empty, but the nurse had replaced it with a new one. Itt was starting to feel quite annoyed that his parents were not allowing him to go see Day but didn't argue back. He still felt guilty for what his parents had already gone through.
"Come out of the room, with me," Itt's father said to his wife. Itt's mother looks at her husband in confusion, but she gets up and agrees to leave the room. Itt looked at his parents in surprise, but he didn't question them.
Itt turned the TV on, but his gaze drifted over to the balcony. He was worried about Day, and he wanted to see his face. He was sleeping in the room next to him, but he knew that if his parents were watching him, he would not be able to go find Day.
The door opens. Itt thought it was his parents coming back inside, so he didn't bother turning around to look. He just continued to look out towards the balcony.
"Now, you dare to ignore me, Itt?" a deep voice sounded, causing Itt's heart to race. Itt immediately turned to look. A figure wearing the same hospital gown as him walked towards Itt with an IV bag. Seeing Day in this state beside his hospital bed made Itt feel like crying.
"Don't cry," Day said before slowly sitting in the chair beside Itt's bed.
"Day... why did you come... aren't you in so much pain? Why did you walk over here? Why aren't you lying down and resting?" Itt said, his heartbeat through his chest when he saw Day's face leaning against the back of the chair.
"I came to see you," Day replied.
"You are hurt, like this. Why are you here? ...you came to find me in this state," Itt said, moving closer to Day.
"Well, I want to see your face now," Day said again.
"What about my parents?" Itt asked in surprise that his father allowed Day to come inside the room to see him.
"I don't know. I didn't see anyone when I was coming in," Day said before looking at Itt.
"Don't sit up. Lie down," Day told Itt, who sat up because he was too excited to see Day, lie down on the bed. Itt did not listen. He stayed next to Day.
"How are you? Where does it hurt?" Itt asked instantly.
"I should be asking you this. Where are you hurting?" Day asked back. Itt's eyes softened when he heard this.
"I'm sorry... it's because of my stupidity... I'm so stupid to many you and others suffer," Itt said in a trembling voice. Day raised his hand to tuck Itt's hair behind his ear.
"You're not stupid. You know I care about you so very much, but do you know what it is that I'm angry about? Day asked. Itt felt the warmth from Day's gentle fingertips caressing his hair and brushing against his cheek.
"What... are you angry with me?" Itt asked back.
"I'm angry that you used your body as a shield to take a bullet for me in the first place... The person you needed to have protected was yourself. Not if you are protecting me. Why didn't you think about this before you did anything?" Day's voice came out softly.
"What... I was afraid I would lose you. What's wrong with me doing that..." Itt replied in a trembling voice.
"Well, did it ever occur to you that I didn't want you to do anything like that for me? That maybe I wanted to do that for you too," Day said again, causing Itt's tears to flow uncontrollably.
"I was scared... you got beaten up... you even got shot," Itt said.
"I'm fine. I'm okay. Shhhhh... stop crying," Day said calmly. He used his long fingertips to wipe the tears rolling down Itt's cheeks.
"That's... impossible... I can't stop," Itt said.
"Itt... I'm here. I'm okay. You're still crying, like this. What's going to happen if I'm not here someday? Can you take care of yourself?" Day asked in a low voice. Itt immediately shook his head.
"No... huh... you have to take care of me... huh... just now, you said you would protect me... huh," Itt cried out loudly.
"Why? I am asking you, right now if I'm not there, can you take care of yourself?" Day asked again. Itt continues to shake his head. Day let's out a small sigh.
"Itt, if I'm not here someday to take care of you, can you make me a promise that you will take care of yourself?" Day said.
"Huh... no... I won't take care of myself... huh... what do you mean by what you're saying? ...are you planning on leaving me? Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Itt wailed.
"Itt, can you listen to what I'm saying first?" Day said harshly.
"Huh... You don't have to be so harsh to me... huh... yes, all the time, I've been the only one to say I love you... huh... I'm the only one who keeps thinking this way about you... huh... but I've n heard the word love come out of your mouth, now even once.... It's only me, in love, right?" Itt said, trying to get out of bed even though he was still hurting.
"Itt!! Be quiet and calm down," Day said loudly, causing Itt to freeze before laying in the bed. He turns his back to Day and sobs. Day let out another sigh. He tried to calm himself down so that he could speak nicely to Itt.
"Why do you want to hear this word? How much do I show you how I feel, all the time? You still can't see it, Itt? I surrender to your tantrums without any retaliation. Doesn't this make you realize how I feel?" Day said. Itt continues to sob. Itt just wants to hear this word come from Day's mouth, just once.
"Huh... huh," Itt was still crying.
"Stop crying... Why are you crying?" Day asked in a weak voice.
"Where is the guy who used to be brutal to girls? The person who used to say they will top me. The person who argued with me so much that he wanted to kill me, all because I reversed my car and crashed into the rear end of your precious car?" Day asked.
"Huh... it's because of you, isn't it? That person is already dead and gone... "Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Itt argued, but refused to look at Day in any way. Day let out a small sigh.
"Itt... turn to me," Day said. Itt was still lying motionless.
"You know that my back hurts. I can't move much. Turn me... right... now," Day said in a slightly darker tone, but Itt didn't turn around.
"Now you're stubborn. Whose wife, are you?" Day mutters casually as he raises his hand to stoke Itt's hair from behind him.
"It's okay if you don't turn around, but you have to listen to me. You must take care of yourself. You need to be stronger. Don't cry, like this, for anyone other than me to see. Okay?" Day urges again, causing Itt to turn around and look at him with tear-filled eyes.
"Huh... you saying this means you're leaving. Where are you going... huh... You are not going to be with me anymore, right?" Itt asked immediately in confusion. Day was silent without answering.
"Day... huh... where are you going? Tell me now.... Huh," Itt used his hand that wasn't stuck with an iv to shake Day's arm back and forth. Day let out a small sight.
"Nowhere. I think you should go to sleep and stop crying. Your father will come in and you. Then, he will say that I made you cry again," Day said. He realized he couldn't talk to Itt if he was just going to keep crying like this.
"Then, tell me... huh... where are you going?" Itt asked again.
"I'm going back to my room. The doctor still doesn't want me to move much, but I wanted to come see you," Day said calmly.
"Huh... Day... why... are you speaking so nicely to me now... you never said anything like this... huh... is something wrong?" Itt asked because he was trusting his intuition.
"It's nothing. You can go to sleep," Day said back. Itt shook the head and gripped Day's arm tightly.
"Don't leave yet... huh... stay with me first," Bick said in a trembling voice.
"Okay... but you have to stop crying," Day tries to negotiate. Itt immediately raised his hand to wipe away his tears. Day felt pity when he saw Itt acting like a child, like this.
"You can go to sleep now. I'll wait for you to fall asleep. Then I'll go back to my room," Day said back. Itt laid down and faced Day. He watched him as if he were afraid the person in front of him would disappear. Itt gripped Day's hand tightly.
"Why don't you go to sleep for a little while?" Day said, after allowing Itt to lie down and stare at him for hours.
"I'm afraid you'll run away from me," Itt said in a low voice. Day let out a small sigh.
"I told you that I wasn't going anywhere," Day said again.
"You still haven't slept. How can I go and rest? I'm even more injured than you," Day sais again, making Itt remember this.
"Then come and sleep with me," Itt invited.
"If your father comes in and sees me, he's going kick me off the bed. If the doctor comes in and sees, he will curse me to death," Day said. Itt made a sad face. Day sighed again.
"Okay, I'll go to sleep with you. Move over," Day said back. Itt smiled happily. He quickly moved over so Day could climb into bed to sleep with him. Day moved the iv bag closer to the bed and slowly climbed in bed to sleep next to Itt.
Day lays on his side, facing Itt. Itt immediately buries his face into Day's chest. Even though it was a bit difficult to sleep in bed together, in this state, it made Itt feel more at ease.
Kiss...
"Sleep," Day said as he kissed Itt's forehead lightly. Itt slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep. Day looked at Itt with his sleepy, gentle eyes.
....
//What I've decided to do, I want you to know that I did it for you, Itt. For your future. // Day mumbles softly before slowly closing his eyes and embracing Itt's thin figure.